generated: '2026-08-13'
method: searched
source: https://docs.northbeam.io/docs/authentication.md
docs:
  - https://docs.northbeam.io/docs/authentication.md
  - https://docs.northbeam.io/docs/using-the-api.md
name: Northbeam UAT (User Acceptance Testing) environment
description: >
  Northbeam runs a production-equivalent test environment on a separate host and — unusually
  — publishes anonymous test credentials for it, so an integrator can exercise request
  validation before they hold an API key at all.

environments:
  - name: Production
    base_url: https://api.northbeam.io
    persists_data: true
    note: >
      Orders sent here are used for multi-touch attribution and media mix modeling.
    declared_in:
      - openapi/northbeam-orders-v2-openapi.yml
      - openapi/northbeam-orders-v1-openapi.yml
      - openapi/northbeam-spend-v1-openapi.yml
      - openapi/northbeam-data-export-v1-openapi.yml
  - name: UAT / testing
    base_url: https://api-uat.northbeam.io
    persists_data: false
    note: >
      Described in the specs as "User Acceptance Testing (UAT), Production Equivalent
      (provided for Customer Testing ONLY, spend submitted here does not get used in
      attribution)". The docs add that in the testing environment no orders are saved and
      only validation results are returned.
    declared_in:
      - openapi/northbeam-orders-v2-openapi.yml
      - openapi/northbeam-orders-v1-openapi.yml
      - openapi/northbeam-spend-v1-openapi.yml
    caveat: >
      Testing with real user keys against UAT is supported but the development database is
      purged periodically — Northbeam explicitly says it should be treated as a testing
      environment and not a stable one.
    not_declared_in:
      - openapi/northbeam-data-export-v1-openapi.yml
    coverage_note: >
      The Data Export API declares only the production server. There is no documented UAT
      base URL for exports, so read-side integrations cannot be rehearsed the way write-side
      ingestion can.

test_credentials:
  published: true
  anonymous: true
  source: https://docs.northbeam.io/docs/authentication.md
  values:
    - header: Authorization
      value: None
    - header: Content-Type
      value: application/json
    - header: Data-Client-ID
      value: test
  quote: >
    "When testing, you can use the following values without the need for production keys. In
    the testing environment, no orders are saved and we only return the results of
    validation."
  scope: request/payload validation only — nothing is persisted and nothing is attributed

key_model:
  test_vs_live_prefixes: false
  note: >
    Northbeam does not use distinguishable test-mode vs live-mode key prefixes. The same key
    material works against both hosts; the ENVIRONMENT is selected by hostname
    (api-uat.northbeam.io vs api.northbeam.io). An agent or CI job that misreads the host
    writes real attribution data — there is no key-shaped guard rail.

test_clocks: false
fixtures:
  hosted_fixtures: false
  note: >
    No fixture generator, trigger endpoint or time-simulation tooling is published. The
    ReadMe API reference does provide a "Try It" console with example payloads that can be
    pointed at either the UAT or production host.
  reference_console: https://docs.northbeam.io/reference/post_orders-1